NCEA Level 3 Making Music case studies
NCEA Level 3 Making Music · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NCEA Level 3 Making Music is the final-year senior secondary music subject in New Zealand's National Certificate of Educational Achievement. It is designed for students who already have practical skills - they can hold a part in an ensemble, read notation or work confidently by ear, and write original music - and who want that musicianship formally recognised before leaving school. The NCEA Level 3 Making Music case studies are 5 cases and about 4,540 words.
1Chorus lift with a fixed four-chord loop
A Level 3 student is composing a three-minute song for the composition portfolio. The song must be submitted as a lead sheet plus a stereo recording, recorded in a school classroom with one condenser microphone and a DAW.
938 words, about 5 min2Tempo drift and click-track decisions in a piano trio
A Level 3 drummer is preparing a 12-minute set with a piano trio for a school showcase. The set has three pieces: a 4-minute swing tune at 138 BPM, a 3-minute ballad at 66 BPM, and a 5-minute funk tune at 104 BPM.
965 words, about 5 min3Bridge analysis: E7 in A minor and production evidence
A student is analysing a 32-bar pop song for the Level 3 analysis portfolio. The song is in A minor, 4/4, 96 BPM.
870 words, about 4 min4Film cue with two sync points and no percussion
A student is composing a 90-second cue for a school short film. The scene: a character walks through an empty house at dusk, stops at 0:35 when a door creaks open, then runs outside at 1:05.
862 words, about 4 min5Solo recital program with instrument change and vocal stamina
A Level 3 guitarist/singer is preparing an 18-minute solo recital. The program is: a Renaissance lute piece arranged for guitar (4 minutes), a Beatles song in dropped D (3 minutes), a classical study (3 minutes), and an original song in open G (5 minutes), plus 3 minutes of spoken introductions.
905 words, about 5 min